Newbie questions from an old owner

[JThw8]

Seems funny, asking newbie type questions. Ive spent my whole life with parrots, helping my parents foster abused and rescued birds and living the past 25 years with my maggie, a yellow naped amazon. But it has been just me and maggie for a long time and I got to know her quirks and she mine, now she has left me after a long long life and I will need to fill that void or go insane.

I have a new wife who is new to birds and is learning. I am looking for recommendations as to what to do next. I have spent most of my life with rescue birds and have no problem doing it again. But I would like some recommendations for good candidates. Something that will have a good chance of being multi person friendly. I personally love amazons since my maggie was one, and I have always liked sun conures as well. I have had a few cockatoos in rescue and it is not a challenge I think my wife will be up to. I really love the personallity of 'toos but I think we all know the challenges, I wish there was a perfect one out there because they are my favorite from a personality standpoint. She likes greys for their talking ability. Nothing larger than an amazon or grey so no big macaws.

Something relatively sedate, I developed a bad noise sensitivity while working on jets in the air force so I cant handle exessively noisy birds, I know its kinda a crap shoot as any bird can be noisy, and I will work with any bird I get and find a way to make things work, but if there are some that should be avoided due to being habitual screamers that would be good to know.

I think we are really looking at either another amazon, a grey, or a conure, but if there is something else we should consider Id love to hear input. For the last 18 years or so its just been me and maggie and a rescued Goffin that was a true sweetheart but loved me and me alone and didnt take kindly to the new baby when my daughter was born.

I keep reading posts about how amazons are almost as troublesome as 'toos and I guess Ive been lucky because Ive never experienced that. Maggie was cantankerous and a biter early on, but she had also been severly abused so she had reason. The other amazons I worked with over the years, probably 3 or 4 were all very pleasant, have I just missed out on the dark side of amazons?

Mostly just babbling, thanks for listening. Im finding the only way to keep my mind off the loss right now is to look forward with hope to a new friend soon.

Jim

[Casa Amazona]

Jim,

I'm so sorry about your loss of Maggie. If you don't mind my asking, how did she go?

Personally, I think Amazons are just the most wonderful birds around. I have three Double Yellow Heads and one Blue Front and I wouldn't trade one of them for anything else with feathers (although, of course, there are still a few I'd love to have). Have you considered a Lilac Crown? They're very sweet and gentle, not enormous and don't have a reputation for being loud.

Joanie

[JThw8]

Originally Posted by Joanie

Jim,

I'm so sorry about your loss of Maggie. If you don't mind my asking, how did she go?

Personally, I think Amazons are just the most wonderful birds around. I have three Double Yellow Heads and one Blue Front and I wouldn't trade one of them for anything else with feathers (although, of course, there are still a few I'd love to have). Have you considered a Lilac Crown? They're very sweet and gentle, not enormous and don't have a reputation for being loud.

Joanie

Thank you for the kind words. She was just old, by most estimates her previous owner had her between 20-30 years, plus the 25 she spent with me, and a very hard life before we met, she was just tired. She had been very active and her usual self up until that morning, then suddenly she just fell from her pertch to the floor of the cage. I picked her up and held her, she was breathing and trying to cuddle with me, but really couldnt move her body. I was such a mess I couldnt do anything but hold her. By the time my wife was able to contact the vet and try to get an emergency visit set up she had closed her eyes and left me. There was no evidence of any illness, and I try to take comfort in that. And everyone tells me I should be glad I got to spend those last few minutes with her, and I suppose I should, but there is no greater pain than holding the one you love as they die and knowing you are powerless to stop it. I feel crazy, a grown man who cant even go to work right now because I cant hold it together long enough, but she was with me through everything and its hard to cope. I guess thats why Im so quick to start looking again, I need to fill a void, I need a friendly feathered face to greet me in the morning and say hello when I get home from work. Oddly my siamese cat is taking it just as hard and has spent his time keeping vigil over the empty cage and trying his best to snuggle with me (which he never did before)

Sorry, I tend to vent a bit right now...
I do think I will try to keep with an amazon, I had been buttering up the wife for an african grey as a second bird prior to this loss and she is enamored of their speech capacity, but amazons have always been good to me and I think when she meets one who didnt have such a hard past she will see they can be an amazing friend. Not that my maggie wasnt, but she was forever timid and not a typical pet bird.

Thanks again for listening to my vent and rants...its hard for anyone around me to understand what this loss means to me so its good to find a group of like minded individuals.

[Casa Amazona]

Jim,

I can't even imagine what it must be like to lose a friend you've had since you were ten years old. Probably it was better for Maggie that you were there to hold her at the end than it was for you. On the other hand, you'll always have the comfort of knowing that when she went she wasn't alone because she had her beloved friend with her.

Of course I'm completely biased, but I really do think Amazons make the most wonderful friends.

Joanie

[Beaks]

Amazons are my favorite so i guess you know what i would say about getting a new friend.

I would be totally lost if one of my babies died and with most of them in their 20's i guess i should expect it someday (hopefully not until i get very very old)

But i will know that no matter when the time comes they will know that they are loved and will be missed badly.

I lost Johnny (Magna) when i was young after he was with me for most of my childhood (he moved in when i was 4 and lived 17 years but he was old when he came) and there is not a day that goes by that i don't think of him.

I feel your loss and wish you the very best in your search for a new buddy.

John

[The Outlaw]

I think an eclectus is another excellent choice. I have one and all women are just in love with her. She is beautiful, sweet natured and not at all noisy. She has the sweet little girl voice that all ekkies have and a wonderful almost floral smell. They can be difficult if not handled properly, just like the zons, so do your homework first. And, mine at least is an excellent talker.

[JThw8]

its funny you should post that now. I was just this moment reading up on them as I have always like them too but knew very little about them. It definitely looks like another good candidate.

Thanks!